Batter, Batter
by TheAlphaBette
Summary: Sometimes the world throws you a curve ball and it knocks your teeth out - that doesn't mean you stop swinging. HPDM. Drarry. WIP.
1. An Inconvenient Truth

**AN: You'll notice that I almost never work exclusively on one fic, and this is because I get random ideas and plot bunnies and need to write them down ASAP or they disappear. Sorry!**

 **Note: This fic contains a bit of abuse, both verbal and physical (mostly verbal and pertaining to homosexuality). It is not explicit, but if this triggers you,** _ **please don't read.**_

-o0o-

Harry couldn't understand it. One moment he'd been enjoying a snog with Ginny, the first real kiss they'd shared after the Battle, and the next he was pushing her away, an uncomfortable squirming in his stomach.

'Harry?' She said, her hair mussed prettily and her cheeks flushed as she lay underneath him on the lounge.

'It's nothing. C'mere.' He dipped close to her once more, the gentle press of mouths quickly becoming harder and more frenzied, roiling stomach ignored and hands wandering and until they brushed against the seam of his jeans and—

'No!' Harry cried, breaking the kiss and rolling off the seat and onto the floor in a heap. It was worse than before; he'd felt absolutely sickened as Ginny's hand had brushed his crotch. What was _wrong_ with him?

'What is _wrong_ with you, Harry?' Ginny demanded, looking hurt and angry.

'I don't know. I –' he stopped, realising how it might sound if he told her that when she touched him it made him feel sick to the stomach. 'I just guess I'm not in the mood, or something,' he said lamely.

Ginny stood from the lounge, looking fierce, and Harry followed.

'You're _never_ "in the mood", Harry. These past few weeks have been nothing but you not being in the mood.'

'There was no time!' Harry protested. 'I've been going to funerals and trials every day! When would I have had time for this?' He gestured between them sharply.

'Oh, I dunno, maybe when you came home and your _girlfriend_ needed you. But _no,_ they obviously needed you more than _I_ did.'

'I was exhausted! Do you think I liked going to those things and could just come home and just – just _forget_ about it like a bad day at work or something? Could you have just forgotten about Fred like that?' Harry asked incredulously. Ginny clenched her fists, her hair shifting with wild magic.

'I would have come to _you_ if you hadn't been so _fucking busy_ making sure everyone else was okay!' She shouted, her voice wet. 'And you would have noticed that if you'd _actually been here_ to support me.'

'I couldn't have just _left_. It was the right thing to do!' Which was apparently the wrong thing to say, if Ginny's flaring nostrils were anything to go by.

'You self-righteous _bastard_! You're too busy playing the hero to realise when your own family needs you!'

'What should I have done, then? If I hadn't gone to the trials, Draco and Narcissa would have been thrown in Azkaban without a fair trial!'

'So _Draco_ is more important than _me_ , then, is he?'

'That's not what I said at all!'

'You didn't even deny it!' A distinctly nasty gleam entered Ginny's eyes as she stalked closer to him. 'You know what? Maybe he _is_. Every time I tried to talk to you or even mentioned sex, you rejected me. Is that why you pushed me away just now?'

'What? _No!'_ Harry spluttered. 'This isn't about Draco!'

'No, I think it is,' she said, invading his personal space. 'Because if I do this—' She made a grab for his crotch and he jumped back, pushing her hand away as his stomach clenched.

'What the _fuck_ was that? What boyfriend doesn't want to have sex with their girlfriend?' Ginny demanded.

'I don't want to right now!'

'You _never_ want to! You know what, _Potter_? I think you're _gay_ ,' she said, jabbing him in the chest.

A picture frame that was hanging on the wall abruptly shattered, glass tinkling to the floor. ' _The only thing worse than you, boy, is gays. They're disgusting little freaks.' 'If I find out you kissed another boy again it'll be no food for a month! Go to your cupboard, you filthy creature!' 'Shirt-lifter, shirt-lifter! Harry is a shirt-lifter!'_ Fury burned through Harry's veins, and he could feel his control on his magic slipping.

'Get out,' Harry growled, voice dangerously low.

'What, can't handle the truth? Poor little Pot—' her head snapped to the side with a cry as a wild tendril of his magic slapped her across the face.

'I said, get _out!_ '

With tears in her eyes and betrayal shining on her face, she disappeared with a loud crack. Harry couldn't care less, folding in on himself and letting his destructive magic run wild as the Dursley's hateful comments and his own self-loathing consumed him.

-o0o-

 **AN: Thoughts? Drop me a comment ;)**

 **Note: I do not share or endorse the opinion of the Dursley's in this story. Those are awful things to say. If anyone says anything like that to you or anyone around you, please stand up to them or tell someone else and find help. Nobody needs or deserves that kind of hurtful negativity in their life.**


	2. The Aftermath

**AN: This fic doesn't contain any intentional character bashing - Harry and Gin are just going through a rough patch. I love Ginny too much as a character to bash her. She's just so badass! :3**

-o0o-

One trashed lounge room and about two hours later, Harry had regained enough of his faculties to feel absolutely horrified. His magic had never hit anyone before, and he was still reeling from the incident four hours later when Ginny, a red mark still on her cheek, had arrived back at the flat.

'Gin,' he croaked, his voice hoarse from screaming. 'I'm so sorry. That's never happened before.'

'It's fine,' she said shortly, avoiding his eyes. 'I'm just here for my stuff. I think we need a break. For good, maybe. We're… not working.'

'Gin, no, I—' he stepped towards her and she flinched, putting more distance between them. He froze. _Oh God,_ he realised, _she was_ _scared of_ _him_. He'd made that happen. _He'd made his own girlfriend_ _afraid of him._

'No, Harry. It's… It's over. I'm sorry. Don't – don't come to The Burrow for a while – mum's rather beside herself. Watch out for Howlers. I tried to tell her not to, but you know mum.' She smiled wryly before waving her wand. All her stuff, from her green toothbrush to her favourite yellow shirt whizzed into the room, sorting themselves into the bag she was holding. She visibly steeled herself and stepped over to him, dropping a quick kiss on his cheek.

'For what it's worth, I don't – nobody would mind if you are… you know. It's not a big deal. I'll see you around.' She stepped back from him and spun, Disapparating with a resounding _crack!_

Harry sat numbly on the floor, his stomach lurching with the enormity of what he'd just done, what he'd just lost. The Weasleys, his family, the people who took care of him when nobody else would, probably hated him now. Oh _God_ , Ron was going to kill him. _Hermione_ was going to kill him.

 _Well,_ he thought with resignation as an owl bearing a letter the distinctive red of a Howler approached the window. _That is if Molly doesn't kill me first._

-o0o-

Thoroughly chewed out and downright ashamed of himself, Harry only had time to mope around the flat for about half an hour after Molly's Howler before his fireplace flared green, Hermione's head popping into the flames.

'Harry?' She called.

'Harry's not home. Leave a message after the beep. Beeeeep.'

'Can I come through?' She glanced around, but she probably wouldn't be able to see him sprawled on the floor.

'That's not a message.'

'I'm coming through, then. Hang on.' Her head disappeared and moments later, Hermione stepped through the fireplace, somehow managing not to get spat out on the carpet like Harry usually did. Over-achiever.

'Oh my God, it reeks in here. Have you been _drinking?_ '

'I'm 18 now. Nothing you can do, Hermy-own. Hey!' He said, glaring at the witch as she banished his drinks. 'Now what'd you do that for?'

'You can't escape your problems by drinking them away,' she said, plonking down on the floor next to him and placing his head in her lap. 'And you'll thank me in the morning for it. Now,' she said gently, running her fingers through his hair. 'What happened?'

'It hit her!' Harry said after a few moments, throwing his arms into the air.

'What did? You?' She asked, disbelief colouring her voice.

'No, no. My… my magic. It went all "buzz-bah-doo-flhp-flhp" and then _WHACK!_ I didn't want it to – I couldn't control it. I was so sorry. But she didn't want me back. 'Mione, what have I _done?_ ' His eyes watered and his throat grew tight and he curled into himself. 'I never wanted to hurt anyone and now I've hurt Ginny and the Weasleys will all hate me and you're gonna hate me too and nobody will want to talk to me anymore and –'

'Shh. Harry, stop. It's okay. It's not your fault.' She petted his hair and shushed him until his breathing became a bit more even.

'Why did your magic lash out? Were you mad?'

'Yes, I was mad. So mad. Prob'ly the maddest I've ever been,' he declared, flopping his arms and legs back out like a starfish.

'What were you mad at, Harry?'

Harry glared at the ceiling. A spider was walking across the ceiling and building a web. How dare it.

'Harry?'

'She said I was gay,' he muttered.

'What?'

'She _said_ I was _gay_ , Hermione. A poof, a ponce, a shirt-lifter, a fag, a—'

'Harry James Potter, I will _not_ hear you using that language _ever again_ ,' she said sharply.

'Yes, mum,' Harry said. The spider was now trying to convince a moth into its web. Silly spider, Harry was going to have to kill it – Ginny hated spiders.

They sat in silence a while, Hermione petting his hair and Harry watching the spider trek across the roof and over to the window before coming back inside with a spider friend. His flat was apparently being invaded.

'I've got to go, Harry, but feel free to Firecall me at work if you need me, okay?' Harry merely grunted, rolling over onto his front to let her get up. She stood and drew her wand.

'I'm going to float you over to the lounge.' Harry gave her a half-hearted thumbs up before he was floated into the air, landing on the lounge with a gentle thump. A blanket spread over him and he curled up, passing out in moments.

'What am I going to do with you, Harry Potter?' Hermione sighed softly, shaking her head. She summoned a glass from the kitchen and filled it with water, placing it on the coffee table and summoning a packet of headache tablets as well. With one last glance at Harry sleeping on the lounge, she called out her destination and stepped back through the Floo, leaving the teen in peace.

-o0o-

 **AN: So? Thoughts so far? Next chapter might be some Luna, might be some Draco, might be both.** ** _I_** **don't even know yet. Stay tuned! :D**


	3. What Now?

**AN: This fic is almost writing itself, hence why there's quicker updates on it than on Fluttery-Tingly Feelings. Sorry if you're following FTF!**

-o0o-

The next morning, Harry praised the goddess that was Hermione as he downed two headache tablets with a grimace. It would have been nice if the curtains had been shut, he thought, but one couldn't have everything.

He grabbed his wand off the coffee table and trudged into the bathroom. A lifetime of war taught you not to be unprepared, regardless of how safe you thought you were.

A long, hot shower and a quick shave later and Harry was beginning to feel sort of normal again. Not completely normal - Ginny's off-key singing didn't float through the air and her perfume, which usually permeated the whole flat, had yet to be sprayed – but he was getting there.

He wandered into the kitchen, set on finding something to eat that wouldn't upset his stomach. The icebox held only milk, butter and a couple bananas, and the cupboard only a few tins of soup and half a loaf of stale bread. He closed the cupboard door with a sigh, figuring toast would do. And tea. Definitely tea.

A scratching on the window interrupted him, and he glanced over to see an owl with the Daily Prophet and a small envelope held in its beak. He threw the window open and the bird swooped in, arcing around the room once before landing on the counter.

'Hello there, pretty boy,' He cooed, petting its chest. 'What's this, then?'

It dropped its burden and flapped once before settling itself onto the counter, watching Harry expectantly.

'A reply, then. Well, I hope you like bananas,' he said, grabbing and peeling one for the bird. It glared at him but eventually decided to peck at it cautiously.

Satisfied, Harry picked up the paper, only to drop it again at the large, flashing title.

 ** _BOY-WHO-LIVED HAVING TROUBLE IN PARADISE?_**

 _By Kiara Fenton_

Harry, outraged, snatched it up again, his magic rising around him and crisping the paper at the edges.

 _'Is Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, having trouble in paradise? Our sources seem to think so._

 _One source, who wishes not to be named, claims that they had seen Ginevra Weasley, Harry Potter's girlfriend who plays professional Quidditch for the Harpies (For details on her career, turn to page 9), in Gringotts this morning._

 _"She looked like she'd been crying, all red around the eyes and puffy cheeks and such, her hair messed up bad. Reckon they're going through a rough patch, they are. Real shame."_

 _Another source, who also wishes not to be named, is quoted as having overheard a Firecall between Ronald Weasley, Ginevra's brother, and Arthur Weasley, the Weasley patriarch._

 _"I was going past his office, minding my own business, right, when I hear shouting. He was yelling stuff like 'What do you mean they've broken up' and 'He what?! I'm gonna kill him!'. I can understand his surprise, but killin' Potter? Nah, that's just a bit extreme, mate."_

 _We also received reports of a Howler going to Harry Potter's flat just outside Diagon Alley. What does this mean for the poster couple of the war against The Dark Lord? (For details on The Dark Lord's demise, turn to page 6) Will the two reunite? What caused this strife between them?_

 _This reporter would like to know, and she will certainly inform you when she finds out.'_

He threw the paper down on the counter and it burst into flames, startling the owl into squawking and flapping about. Harry couldn't care less. How _dare_ they? How dare they think they had a right to his life? His private life was not a paper-selling front page article. They had no right to it.

Trembling, he noticed the letter he'd forgotten in his anger and picked it up, tearing it open. It was a note written on a scrap of lined paper.

 _Harry,_

 _I'm sorry that stuff made it into the paper, mate. Real nasty stuff.  
I'm mad at you, and Hermione said I'm allowed to be, so it must be okay.  
But she also said that you didn't mean it, and while that doesn't make it  
okay, she told me to talk to you about it.  
Ginny told me that she doesn't want us to stop talking to you over this,  
and I know that that's exactly what you think we're going to do,  
but you're my best mate, and I owe it to you to, at the very least, listen  
to your side of the story and all that before I, in Ginny's own words,  
"puff myself up like a defensive twit and act before I think."  
Leaky at 6? Let me know, mate._

 _Ron_

 _P.s. Sorry about mum. Ginny tried.  
P.p.s. Dad wants to know if can fix a lo-lo or something he found. _

Harry felt his magic settle and his eyes water at the message, relief making him smile shakily. He penned a quick _'See you there. Tell your dad to send it on'_ on the back and handed it to the owl, who gave a soft hoot, glared at the mauled banana and took off out the window.

Harry, forgetting breakfast as his stomach clenched in nerves – what would Ron think? Would he be as accepting as Hermione? – decided to go grocery shopping to pass the time. Merlin knew his cupboards needed it.

He collected his wallet and keys, and just as he was about to walk out the door, he spotted the spider hanging about on the windowsill. He considered killing it, but ultimately decided against it. Ginny wasn't here, and he could do with the companionship.

'You spread much more though, buddy, and we're going to have to have some words.'

The spider continued to spin its web, unconcerned, and Harry smiled at it and left.

-o0o-

 **AN: Thoughts? The spider was just thrown in on a whim chapter two, but I like him. We have a spider in our house that we don't kill because he doesn't bother anyone and keeps the bugs down. His name is Phillip. Next chapter is called A Chance Meeting. What do you think that means? ;)**


	4. A Chance Encounter

**AN: Please PM me or comment if you find any errors – I don't always catch them all. Thank you!**

-o0o-

It was easy to lose oneself in the constant battle between _'Do I really need this?'_ and _'It's only 3.99 for a whole packet, what a bargain!'_ and Harry welcomed the distraction.

He was glaring at some crisps, weighing up the pros and cons of buying a bigger bag – pros, more crisps for a cheaper price all up; cons, would he even finish them, or would they end up going stale in the cupboard and getting thrown out anyway? – when an unwelcomely familiar voice interrupted his musings.

'You know, you'd be much better off buying that bigger bag with the little packets inside. It's a bit more expensive, but much more convenient,' Draco Malfoy drawled from behind, amusement colouring his tone.

'Malfoy. Fancy meeting you here. You know, in a _Muggle_ supermarket, and all,' he said, turning to face him.

'Yes, well, family fortune stripped for reparations and a stupid tattoo on my arm banning me from most places will do that. It's horrible, Potter. These Muggles don't seem to realise the mistakes they're making half the time. Look at that woman,' he said, pointing to a middle-aged brunette down the aisle. 'She's buying that flour in the blue bag. The one in the pink bag is not only cheapest, but I know for a fact that there is no difference between cooking with either.'

'You can cook?' Harry said, raising an eyebrow.

'Of course I can cook. That, however, wasn't my point. Excuse me.'

Harry watched with growing amusement as Malfoy trotted off towards the woman. The woman appeared to disagree with him at first, but Malfoy eventually managed to convince her to put the blue bag back and grab the pink one. She nodded at him in thanks and moved off down the aisle, and Harry made his way over to the blond.

'Is this what you do for fun now, then? Tell random Muggles they're wasting their money and convince them not to?'

'Well I can't go around kicking puppies and torturing innocents like the big bad Death Eater I am, now, can I?'

'No, you can't,' Harry said tightly, the war still fresh on his mind.

'What's wrong?' Malfoy asked, looking confused.

'Nothing. See you around, Malfoy.' Harry stalked off, knowing he may have been a little irrational but not particularly caring. He paid for his things and left, not once looking behind him where he could feel Malfoy's eyes burning into him, and Apparated back to his flat.

-o0o-

Six o'clock came up too quickly for Harry's liking. One moment it was midday, and the next it was quarter to six. Harry changed into a t-shirt and jeans, slipped his jacket on and Apparated to the back of The Leaky Cauldron. He pushed inside, and, thankfully, there were only a few people scattered about the pub. He ordered two Butterbeers and found a booth, slipping inside where he could see all the entrances.

A few minutes later, Ron stumbled out of the Floo, still in his Auror garb. A few patrons who had been huddled in the back stood up and left, and Ron watched them suspiciously while Tom glared at him from behind the bar.

Harry waved him over, and the red-head weaved through tables and chairs before sitting himself down across from Harry with a sigh.

'Oh, that's better. Mate, I swear, Auror training is the worst. I spent two whole hours standing in the same bloody spot under an invisibility cloak – oh, thanks,' he said as Harry pushed the second Butterbeer over. 'To train for Stakeouts and Stealth.'

'Bloody awful,' Harry commiserated. He was glad Ron had gone into the Aurors; he'd flourished, gaining confidence and skyrocketing to the top of his class - something Hermione never stopped gushing about.

'It's good to see you, mate. Been a while,' Ron said.

'Yeah, it has.'

They sipped their drinks in silence for a while before Ron stretched and settled himself more deeply into his chair.

'So, what's this business with Ginny?'

Harry took his glasses off and sighed, rubbing his eyes.

'We… had a bit of an argument.'

'I heard,' he said evenly, which was rather remarkable for Ron.

'Yes, well, things got a little out of control and my magic sort of lashed out at her,' Harry said, tracing a ring on the table. Ron seemed to take this in for a few moments.

'I knew that. You're _still_ getting wild magic?' He said eventually.

'Yeah. It – that's the first time it's ever done _that_ , though.'

'Blimey, mate. How bloody mad at her were you?'

Harry swallowed. 'A lot.'

They sat in silence for a while more, Ron considering him and Harry getting more and more resigned to Ron's hatred as time wore on.

'Well,' Ron said slowly. 'It's not like you wanted to hurt her, right?'

'I would _never_ want to hurt her, Ron,' Harry said firmly.

'Good. I suppose that settles it, then. Just a big mistake, and all. She told me you'd already apologised. Plus I know mum's already sent you a Howler. Sorta makes whatever I could say seem a bit lame in comparison, doesn't it?'

'Yeah, a bit,' Harry agreed, smiling wryly.

'She'll come around, Harry. You'll see. She's… she's lost too many of her kids already.'

Harry swallowed against the sudden tightness in his throat and nodded.

'I best be off, then. Gotta be up early tomorrow and all. I'll see you around, mate.' Ron stood and clapped him on the back. Harry followed, bidding him good luck.

'I'll need it, too. Tomorrow's potions,' the red-head muttered. Harry laughed good-naturedly.

'Tell Hermione I said hi.'

'Will do, mate.' He stepped back through the Floo and disappeared in a column of flames. Harry went back outside and Apparated back to his flat. The spider - who probably could use a name, now that Harry was keeping him – had migrated to the pot plant by the door, its web sparkling in the light. Oh wait, no it hadn't; that was the spider friend it had brought in last night.

Now he'd have to think of two names.

-o0o-

 **AN: So? I tried to make their interactions flow, but I don't know if I got it. Feel free to let me know! :)**


	5. Spiders Are Better Than Owls

**AN: I don't have much to say, other than enjoy, and thank you to TazzieLuv13 for the name Thomas!**

-o0o-

Harry was woken from a strange dream about defeating a dragon by playing the guitar and putting it to sleep (1) by a loud tapping on his window. He blinked at it myopically, squinting at the blurry blob before stumbling out of bed and sliding his glasses onto his face.

It was an owl, a large, regal eagle owl. Harry let it in and it swooped about the room importantly before landing on his dresser.

'Why do you look familiar?' Harry said, relieving it of its cargo. It was a simple envelope, ' _Potter'_ written on it in elegant cursive. He flicked it open and took out the letter, reading the familiar script with a bit of confusion.

 _Potter,_

 _I never thought I'd ever write a letter to you apologising  
for something, but here you go.  
I apologise for what I said in the supermarket. It was  
unthoughtful.  
Now don't ever expect an apology again. It pained me to  
write this one.  
Andromeda said to invite you along to see  
her and Theodore this afternoon. He's your  
godson, is he not? I'm sure he'd be glad to see you,  
_ _bespectacled idiot that you are_ _.  
1 o'clock is when I usually go. Send a note back  
with Benedict if you can make it._

 _D. Malfoy_

Harry, reluctantly amused, scrambled around his desk for a something to write with. He found a Muggle Biro and some paper and penned an affirmative.

'Wait here a second, I might have some owl treats in here somewhere… aha!' They were a bit stale, but it would have to do. He held them out to Benedict, and the owl turned its beak up at him, giving him the side-eye.

'I don't have anything else!'

The owl nipped at his fingers, snatched the letter from his other hand and took off out the window. He stuffed the treats back into his desk, but quickly changed his mind and banished them. He'd buy some more in Diagon today.

Shuffling into the bathroom with a yawn, he went about his morning routine. He sniffed himself and shrugged, figuring a shower could wait, and decided to get dressed. Slipping on a t-shirt that didn't smell and a stepping into some jeans that weren't too bad – He really needed to do some washing - Harry glanced at himself in the mirror and flattened his hair a bit, eventually giving it up as a lost cause.

He felt a sudden longing; Ginny would usually laugh and scruff up his hair at this point, laughing and telling him to give it up as he scowled at her in the mirror. ' _It's just gonna get messed up, anyway,'_ she'd say, looping her arms around him from behind. He'd always liked it when she did that.

Shaking the thought off, he accio-ed his wallet and Disapparated.

And if the churning of his stomach wasn't all from Apparating, well, nobody but him would know.

-o0o-

'Harry Potter,' called a dreamy voice from behind him as he was choosing owl treats. What was it with people finding him shopping? He turned and found himself startled into a small laugh.

Luna was dressed in a yellow sundress, which was quite pretty, but she had an apron over the top that said _'Kiss the Cook'_ and a tool belt around her waist with paintbrushes and pencils sticking out. She was also barefoot and stained with paint all manner of colours from top to bottom. There was a bright red splotch on her nose.

'Hey, Luna,' he said. 'What've you been up to?'

'Oh, lots of things! The roof of the house needed some new paint. The Wrackspurts were taking over. They love the colour brown, you know. And our roof was just the perfect shade. Did you know they have art classes at Hogwarts now?'

Harry shook his head. 'No, I didn't. That's fantastic. Do you teach them?'

'Only sometimes. Dean Thomas is much better than me,' she said happily. 'And I have to help daddy with the Quibbler.'

Harry nodded and hummed in agreement. Luna was a fantastic painter – the roof of her room was a testament to that – but Dean was bloody gifted. Scarily so.

'Are you here to buy an owl? That barn owl there is very friendly, but it doesn't like being left alone too often,' she said, pointing. 'And that one's quite pretty and can fly very fast,' the dark-brown owl she pointed to preened, hooting softly in agreement. 'But he's also very proud. He's not been sold because he bites people he doesn't like, the owner said, and they bring him back.'

'Thanks Luna, but I'm not really looking for an owl. Just some treats.' He held up his chosen bag, which declared in bright letters ' _All owls love the taste of Minnie's Munchies_.' He hoped it was true; he'd had more than his fair share of insulted owls in the last few days.

'Oh well, if you do, he'll probably still be here. I'll see you later, Harry.' She waved before wandering off, singing to herself in a language Harry couldn't understand. Shaking his head, Harry paid for the treats and left, Apparating back home with a crack.

-o0o-

Harry sprawled on the floor next to his lounge, watching the pair of spiders building a web between their two fortresses – one on the windowsill, one in the pot plant. If you looked closely, you could see that one of the spiders was bigger than the other, and the smaller one had a green spot on its back.

'Thomas,' Harry said, testing it out. The larger one seemed to pause, and Harry decided that that meant it had accepted the name.

'And… Craig.' The other spider didn't stop building its web, but Harry thought that was just as well; if they started responding to him, they might be Animagi, and then he would have to kick them out. That would be a shame.

'So, Craig and Thomas, what do you think about this?' He held up the letter Malfoy had sent him. They didn't respond.

'I mean, an _apology_ from _Malfoy_? How weird.' Craig shook his spider legs, and Harry nodded.

'Yes, I thought you'd agree. I wonder what his game is.' His wand buzzed next to him, meaning it was about fifteen minutes to one, and he stood up, dropping the letter on the table.

He went into the bathroom and had a quick shower, changing into a hooded jumper and some less-questionable jeans from the drawer. He stepped back into the lounge room and pointed at Craig and Thomas.

'Now I'm warning you guys, you spread much more and I'll have to start knocking webs down. And don't bring anymore friends in while I'm out,' he said, feeling only a bit ridiculous as they simply continued their work. At least they didn't get offended and bite him.

With a sharp nod, he turned on his heel and Disapparated.

-o0o-

 **AN: (1) That's a scene from A Very Potter Musical, and all credit goes to Starkid for that bit.**

 **Can you guess who my favourite character is? Also, this story is moving a little slowly, but that's because I don't want to force anything. This is probably my first really serious multi-chapter fic, and I don't want to mess it up. Drop me a comment or PM me if you have any questions or just want to show me some love! :D**


	6. Bocks!

**AN: Go go go! I have ao3 now :D I'd put a link, but fanfiction eats them up. PM me if you wanna check it out – it's basically all these stories, just set out more nicely, in my opinion. I'm not 100% on the behaviour and speech of 1-2 year olds - my littlest brother is seven - so bear in mind that it might not be accurate.**

-o0o-

Andromeda's house was not far from Harry's flat - which was part of the reason he'd chosen that flat in the first place - and as Harry landed in a heap on her doorstep, he realised he probably should have walked instead. He was struggling back to his feet as the door opened, Andromeda grinning at him with a squirming Teddy on her hip.

''Ry! 'Ry!' Teddy grabbed for him, hair turning black and his eyes flashing green, and Harry plucked him from Andromeda's arms and spun him around, much to Teddy's delight.

'Harry,' Andromeda said warmly. 'Glad you could make it.'

Harry settled Teddy on his hip, kissing his forehead.

'I'm glad I could too,' he agreed. Andromeda embraced him briefly before she ushered him inside and into the sitting room.

'Down, 'Ry, down!' Harry laughed and set Teddy down, who zoomed over to a stack of blocks in the middle of the room.

'Tea?'

'Please.'

They went to the kitchen, Harry keeping an eye of Teddy from the doorway as Andromeda made the tea.

'I saw that article in the paper the other day. Are you okay, Harry?' She asked, her eyebrows drawn in concern. Harry grimaced, running his hand through his hair.

'Yeah, I just – Ginny and I had a bit of a row. We… aren't exactly, well, together anymore.'

Andromeda sighed, handing him his tea and leading him back into the sitting room.

'Yes, well, Ted probably would have said something Muggle about the road to true love not running smooth or some such rot. Where do the Muggles come up with these things?'

Harry laughed, a bit strained but amused nonetheless. 'I don't know. How are you, Andy?'

Andromeda accepted the subject change with nothing more than a raised eyebrow. 'I've been quite well. Teddy's a handful, but that's nothing new. Young Draco has been visiting more often though, which helps a lot. He looks so much like his mother,' Andromeda mused, her eyes going distant.

She shook her head and smiled ruefully. 'All in good time, Harry,' she said, squeezing his knee.

Teddy squealed and knocked his blocks over with a stuffed dragon Harry had given him, his hair cycling through the rainbow.

'That's new,' Harry said, surprised.

'Draco's been teaching him colours. It happens when he's excited, now,' Andromeda said, smiling down at her grandson. An owl swooped in the window, and Andromeda excused herself to answer it.

Harry put his empty teacup on the coffee table and settled himself down next to Teddy, who squealed and started handing him blocks.

'Bocks, 'Ry, bocks!' Teddy looked at him expectantly, so Harry stacked them up in piles and Teddy nodded his approval. They soon had a rhythm going; Teddy handed him blocks, Harry stacked them and Teddy knocked them over with his dragon.

The Floo flared to life in another room, and Andromeda called out. 'The sitting room, Draco, I'll be there in a minute!'

Malfoy, sleek in black slacks and a white button up, entered the room.

'Dray!' Teddy squealed, his hair running through the rainbow before settling on Malfoy white. Little traitor.

'Bocks!' Teddy declared.

'Yeah? Lots of blocks, huh?' Malfoy said, hovering in the doorway.

'Potter,' he nodded politely to Harry.

'Malfoy.'

Andromeda chose that moment to come in, steering Draco into the sitting room fully and handing him some tea.

'How are you, Draco? Is your mother well?' she started, and Harry tuned out, returning to trying to build the tallest tower he could before Teddy got sick of it and knocked it down. He'd eventually gotten to an impressive eleven blocks high before Teddy had roared and knocked it down.

'Bad luck, Potter,' Malfoy said as he settled down next to him, lanky legs crossed.

'Dray bocks,' Teddy said happily, handing Malfoy about half the blocks and pushing the rest to Harry. ''Ry bocks. RAWR!' He held up his dragon, bringing it down in front of him with a thump.

'Bet you I can build a tower with all my blocks before you can,' Harry challenged. Malfoy smirked.

'You're on, Potter.'

So Harry spent the next fifteen minutes trying to build his tower before Malfoy, while simultaneously trying to protect it from Teddy. Malfoy won, but Harry demanded a rematch. Harry had eventually accepted defeat when the blond had won four times in a row, even when Harry had tried to convince Teddy to demolish Malfoy's tower instead by lighting it up with his wand.

'I'm just his favourite,' Malfoy declared, ruffling Teddy's hair. 'Isn't that right, Teddy Bear?'

'Dray!' Teddy seized the blond's hand. 'Dray, Dray, Dray.'

'Whatever you say, _Dray,_ ' Harry said, grinning. Malfoy nudged him with his elbow, and Harry's stomach did a backflip. _What?_

'Could be worse. He used to call me "no",' the blond said as Teddy began to gnaw on his hand. Malfoy replaced his hand with a teething ring and grabbed his wand, muttering _tempus_ under his breath.

'Shi – vers,' he said, correcting himself at the last minute. 'I've got to go.' He leaned over to Teddy and dropped a kiss on his head before rising gracefully.

'Must you, Draco?' Andromeda said from her perch on the arm of the lounge. 'We were having so much fun.'

Malfoy grimaced a bit. 'Yeah. Meeting with my parole officer.' He scowled at the floor briefly before his cool mask slid back into place.

Andromeda nodded and stood, leading him out with a small frown.

'See you around, Potter,' Malfoy said, not really meeting his eyes. Harry didn't blame him – he wasn't sure if Malfoy would have seen the pity in his eyes, but Harry was sure he wouldn't have liked it if he had.

-o0o-

 **AN: ? I don't like this chapter as much. It was a struggle to write it, and I really,** ** _really_** **hope that doesn't happen again.**


	7. Requesting Your Assistance

**AN: As always, comment or PM me if you see a mistake or just wanna show me some love! 3**

-o0o-

'How hard can it be to fix a bloody yo-yo?' Harry muttered to himself, struggling with a particularly nasty knot.

'Just a quick fix, Harry, nothing too difficult, I'm sure you can do it – argh!' Harry threw the plastic toy on the coffee table and slouched back into the lounge with his arms crossed, struggling to keep his magic from frying the stupid thing.

'You see, Thomas,' he said, glancing over at the spider, who had started to drape Harry's pot plant in spidery tinsel.

'You guys have it easy – you know what's going on; webs and bugs, that's it. No stupid bloody yo-yos.' He glared at the offending item. He'd defeated Voldemort but couldn't fix a Muggle _yo-yo._ Figures.

The Floo roared to life and Harry jolted, knocking his knee against the table with a yelp.

'Harry, mate,' Ron called before spotting him. 'Oh, there you are. Hermione wanted me to ask, dunno why since we're coming even if you say no – we _would_ , Hermione,' Ron said, head turned behind him. 'You've got biscuits and everything, why wouldn't… Oh fine, _I_ would.' He turned back to Harry. ' _Any_ way, we're coming through.'

'Righto, mate,' Harry said, rubbing his knee.

He stood to greet his friends as they came through, Hermione indeed carrying a platter.

'Harry!' Ron said, hugging him awkwardly. Harry was confused until the redhead whispered, 'Don't eat the choc-chip ones.' Harry laughed and stepped back to embrace Hermione.

'Hermione, you've been baking again,' Harry said, smiling weakly. Hermione was a worse cook than Mrs Figg, who had once managed to turn spaghetti bolognaise into something resembling brown troll snot.

'Yes, well, Molly sent me another cook book the other day,' she said, placing the plate on the coffee table and lifting the lid off with a flourish.

'I'll put on some tea, then.'

Two cups of tea and a surprisingly nice slice of sponge cake later, the real reason for Hermione and Ron's visit made itself known.

'How are you, Harry?' Hermione asked, looking concerned.

'I'm, uh, fine, I guess. Why?'

'Well…' she said slowly, looking at Ron for support. The two appeared to have one of those couple's conversations that consisted of eyebrow raises and head shakes. That done, Ron took over the talking.

'We're just a bit worried, mate. It's been a few days, you know, and, you're not exactly the most, er – help me out here, Hermione.'

'We're worried that you're a bit… lonely, Harry,' Hermione said. 'Nobody here to make sure you don't do something you regret. So we were wondering if maybe you'd like to move in with us for a while. It'd be no bother at all,' Hermione insisted when Harry simply stared at her. 'You know we'd love to have you, wouldn't we Ron?'

Ron nodded. 'Yeah, mate. Just for a bit, you know? Until you feel alright again.' Harry stared at them for a bit longer, and suddenly he realised what they were implying.

'Oh my god, are you two worried about me _hurting myself?_ ' Harry asked in disbelief. Hermione shook her head so hard Harry was afraid it'd fly off.

'No! That's not – we don't think _that_ , Harry.'

Ron heaved a sigh and looked at Harry awkwardly, hands spread.

'Yes, we do, mate,' he said, and Hermione squawked at him. 'Shut up, Hermione, it's true. We're not saying that we think you _want_ to, but the possibility is sort of there. You came pretty close with Sirius –'

'Ginny's not dead,' Harry said quickly. 'And I miss her, but… she's better, isn't she? Happier, I mean.'

Ron grimaced but nodded. Hermione looked about ready to smack him.

'Well, that's all that matters, right?' Harry smiled crookedly at his lap.

'Oh, Harry,' Hermione cried, throwing her arms around him. Harry, unsure of himself, awkwardly patted Hermione on the back. He looked to Ron for help, but the redhead just shrugged and grabbed another biscuit. Hermione pulled herself back from him, holding his shoulders and smiling sadly.

'Harry Potter, you terribly wonderful person. Don't _ever_ change.'

Harry nodded and gave her a small smile. A thump on the window interrupted them, and Harry laughed as a tiny brown owl shook its head and flew at the window again, only to be rebuffed a second time. Hermione huffed and flicked her wand at the window before it could happen again, and the owl shot inside with a squawk and tumbled onto the table, scattering the last of the biscuits. Ron gave a small sigh of relief.

'What's wrong with my choc-chip biscuits, Ron?' Hermione demanded. The two got into an argument where Ron tried to insist there was nothing wrong and Hermione stayed on the warpath. He ignored them and opened the letter the tiny, excited owl had brought. He recognised Andromeda's writing instantly.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well. How is your battle with  
the __jo-jo_ _yo-yo going? Does the thing come with instructions?  
I wrote this letter to ask you if you would mind looking after  
Teddy for the next week or so.  
Narcissa has, rather surprisingly, asked me to go with her  
to the old Black villa in France. I suspect a certain someone  
had something to do with that.  
We can sort out the details when you have determined  
your availability._

 _Love,_

 _Andromeda_

Harry grinned; he _had_ sent Narcissa a letter hinting that she should reunite with her estranged sister, but he hadn't expected her to actually _do it_.

'Harry, is this that go-go that dad sent to you?' Ron asked, holding the piece of plastic in his hands. 'What does it _do?'_

'It's a yo-yo, Ron, and it's a Muggle toy. Do you mind, Harry?'

'Not at all. If you can fix the damn thing –'

'Alohamora!' Hermione said, and the string wriggled and writhed for a moment before the string lay straight and trailed on the floor. Harry felt his eye twitch.

'It was _that_ easy? I spent _days_ trying to untangle those bloody knots! I swear Craig was laughing at me!'

'Craig?' Ron asked, frowning.

'Oh, the, uh, spider over there. The small one's Craig, the big one's Thomas,' he said, waving his had in their direction.

Ron, noticing the spiders with wide eyes, slid a bit closer to Hermione.

'You named _spiders_? That are _living_ in your _house_?'

Harry shrugged. 'It seemed the right thing to do at the time.'

'You're mad, mate. Barking mad,' Ron insisted. Harry grinned lopsidedly.

'Well, we best be going,' Hermione sighed. Ron nodded his agreement, glaring at the spiders. Thomas moved towards him and Ron shot up, dragging Hermione with him.

'Yep, that's right, better be going, off we trot.'

'Remind me how you got into the Aurors again, Ron?' Harry laughed.

'There wasn't a spider-phobia test on the entry exam,' he muttered, glaring at the floor as Hermione picked up the platter, biscuits having been banished during their argument.

'It's arachnophobia, Ron,' Hermione said as she hugged Harry goodbye.

'It's common sense, actually, but whatever,' Ron said, clapping Harry on the back, eyes never leaving the spiders.

'I'll get this big, bad Auror out of here, then,' Hermione laughed, dragging Ron by the hand and pushing him through the Floo with a call of 'The Nest!' Ron had insisted on the name, wanting to keep with some old Weasley tradition. Harry thought it was cute – it always made him imagine Hermione and Ron as birds, squawking bird babies tumbling about the house.

'I'll see you soon,' Hermione said with a small, worried smile. Harry waved, and she too disappeared in a green rush of fire.

His flat felt empty all of a sudden, lacking warmth in a way it never had. His thoughts drifted to Ginny, but he quickly banished them with a shake of his head. She wasn't coming back; she was better now, happier. He'd been alone before, liked it even. He'd spent the first eleven years of his life essentially by himself. He could stand being alone.

Right?

His eyes landed on Andromeda's letter, and any hesitancy he'd had vanished under the suddenly oppressive silence of the flat. He penned an affirmative but, realising the little owl had gone, had no way to send it. With a huff, he realised that maybe it was time to buy an owl.

At the very least, it might make the flat feel just a little bit less lonely.

-o0o-

 **AN: Good? I hope so. I finished this a while ago, but our internet is stupid, so I couldn't post it. Sorry!**


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